“This is a 45-year-old dream for me,” Connie Francis said. She entertained troops during the Vietnam War. A telethon was needed then but the social climate wasn’t receptive to aiding veterans, the singer-actress said.

The Homeward Bound telethon came together after she gave a speech two years ago criticizing the lack of help for injured veterans and caught the attention of businessman Leonard Wilf, an owner of the Minnesota Vikings NFL team, Francis said.

She and Wilf joined with producer Bruce Charet to establish the Haven From the Storm Foundation for veterans.

Money raised by the telethon will be donated to charities that provide services and support to servicemen and women and their family members coping with war’s aftermath, including the American Red Cross and Wounded Warrior Project, telethon organizers said.

The telethon will also stream live online and be rebroadcast on the Armed Forces Network on Veterans Day on Monday.